Display and storage structure



Jan. 13, 1953 M. RosTAu 2,625,456

DISPLAY AND STORAGE STRUCTURE Filed June 23, 1950 Patented Jan. 13, 1953 UNITED "STATES PATENT OFFICE 9 Claims.

The present inventionrelates to display and storage structures more particularly of a type wherein the drawer and shelf portions are advantageously though not necessarily made of a substantially transparent substance as a suitable plastic.

An object of the invention has been to provide a storage and display assembly, or the like, including transparent walled drawers which, when in closed position, permit visual inspection of goods stored therein and at the same time, protect them from contamination by dust and dirt.

A further object has been to provide a storage and display structure wherein drawers of transparent material arranged one above another are separated by transparent shelvesw which also function as lids to protect the contents of each drawer when in closed position and the contents of a lower drawer when the next upper drawer is in open or withdrawn position.

A further object of the invention has been to provide an assembly of drawer, and shelf units which provides a maximum storage and display space with a minimum of supporting and concealing structure so that the general appearance of the contents of the show case will be visible with the drawers closed thus necessitating only a minimum handling of the goods for closer inspection. I

Further objects and beneficial or advantageous features of this invention will in part be. noted in and inpart appear from the following description and the appended drawings which describe and illustrate one form of construction embodying my invention. In said drawings,

Figure 1 is a fragmentary view in front elevation of a display and storage assembly;

Figure 2, a fragmentary viewthereof with a lateral upright support removed to show shelves and drawers in side elevation;

Figure 3, a central vertical section on the line 3-3 of Figure 1, on enlarged scale and with the lid displaced upwardly from its normal position, indicated in dotted lines;

Figure 4, a central vertical section on the line l-4 of Figure 2 on enlarged scale;

Figure 5, a top plan view on enlarged scale of the drawer portions of the storage and display case shown in Figures 1 and 2;

Figure 6, a bottom plan view on enlarged scale of the lid or shelf portions of the structure shown in Figures 1 and 2; and I Figure 7, a'fragmentary view, partly in hori zontal section showing details of the rear corner construction and the relationship of the drawer in closed position to its corresponding lid or cover.

Referring to the drawings, the display and storage assembly there shownv includes drawers a of molded and preferably transparent plastic, as styrene, arranged one above another and interposed separating members, as lids or shelves b also molded and of the same or similar material. The separating members I) which serve as shelves to support drawers immediately above them and as lids to cover drawers immediately below them are supported at their lateral edges, conveniently by horizontal rabbets l2 in spaced uprights H where they are held against endwise displacement by any suitable means; such as a face or cover plate [3a, Figure l, or the like, which overlies front end portions of said separating members or shelves. Said drawer a and shelf b are advantageously made of suitable transparent plastic, such as styrene for example, so that articles or goods stored in the drawers a are readily visible through the front walls there-1 of and, under some conditions, through the shelves or lids b.

As seen in Figures 3 and 4, the side and rear end walls of drawer a, when the latter is made of molded plastic, unite to form rounded corners, said side walls being slightly inclined outwardly from bottom to top to permit easier removal of the drawer from the mold. The top edge of the rear wall l4 thereof is disposed at a level below that of the top edges of the side walls l5 which are thickened or reinforced, as at l6. Said side walls extend rearwardly to said rear wall 14 from a front wall I! having its top edge in a plane higher than that of said top edges of the side walls l5 and provided with a forwardly or outwardly extending hand hold and reinforcing member It. A rear end upper portion of each of said side walls ends short of rear wall It to form a rearwardly exposed vertical stop face l9 and a short top edge 20 of curved lateral contour which merges into the top edge surface of rear end wall l4.

As seen in Figures 4 and 5, the front wall I? of drawer a extends laterally beyond the side walls !5 and preferably fits within the spacebetween the upright facing and shelf retaining strips or pieces iSa. A reinforcing rib 2| extending across the bottom of each drawer near its front end terminates in fin-like projections 22 which also serve to steady the drawer when in closed position. Said drawer is also provided with transversely spaced longitudinal bottom reinforcing and guid-v ing ribs 23 which, as seen in Figure 4, ride in grooves 24 formed between spaced reinforcing ribs 25 extending along and projecting above the top surface of shelf or lid b. With this arrangement of the reinforcing ribs of the drawer and its supporting shelf, the normal bottom surface of the drawer and the normal top surface of the shelf are spaced apart so that they are not worn or their transparency impaired by repeated in and out movement of thedrawer in use As shown in Figuresi, and 6, the shelf or lid 1) is provided with a depending flange having a front end portion 26 (in dotted lines Figure 3) arranged with its top edge flush with the front top edge of shelf b and positioned to engage andoverlap an upper portion of the inner. surface of front wall I? of the drawer a when the latter is closed. Side portions 21 of said fiang e extend rearwardly from the lateral ends of said front end portion thereof and substantially parallel with the lateral edges of the shelf and with adjacent ally rounded contour; The lower edge 29 of said rear end portion extends below the level of the top edge of rear wall I 4 of 'the drawer and is arranged in overlapping contact with outer surface portions thereof when the drawer is in closed position; is contemplated thatthe overlapping I features above described of portions'of the front and rear ends respectively of the shelf or lid in contact with portionsof the frontand rear walls respectively of the drawer serve to protect the contents thereof more effectively from impairment by dust and'dirt. In effect, they provide a complete closureto the extent that, when the drawer is in closed position, the area of closing contact between various portions of the lidand adjacent portions of the drawer is substantial and ubs nt a cont nu us In assembling a display and storage structure cco din to h re ent i en w e required separating members b are mounted with their lateral edges engaged in the rabbets [-2 of uprights I3. The facing strips l3 a are applied to the outer surfaces of said uprights and thereby extend across and retain end portions of said separating members b. The space between adjacent separating members is such that a drawer a of suitable dimensionswill slide freely between them but without excessive play. Thusjwhen'a drawer is closed various parts thereof above referred to are snugly engaged with adjacent parts of its corresponding lid; and openings for entry of dust and dirt are thereby reduced to a minimum.

A display structure as described above has in addition the advantages of lightness, pleasing appearance, and of flexibility in respect to the number of drawers conveniently grouped in a multiple drawer assembly. This affords economy not only in initial cost but in transportation to and installation at the place of use.

I claim:

1. Display andstorage structure of transparent plastic materialcomprising'in combination ve'rti: cally spaced integrally'for'med shelves arranged one "above the other, andan' integrally' 'formed drawer slidably supported on a lower shelf and having a front end wall, a rear end wall and III spaced side walls, the next upper one of said shelves providing a cover for said drawer and having a flange extending downwardly from its under surface into said drawer, longitudinally extending portions of said flange being spaced inwardly from the side edges of said shelf and overlapping upper edge portions of the side walls of said drawer, a front end portion of said flange extending transversely, across the front end of saidshelfland opposite an upper portion of the front end wall of said drawer, and a rear end portion of said flange extending transversely across the rear end edge of said shelf and havin a portion overlapping an upper edge portion of theouter face of said rear end wall of the drawer.

2. Structure according to claim 1 and wherein the top edgeofthe'front end wall of said drawer is in a plane above the plane of the top edges of the side walls thereof and the top edge of the rear end wall is in aplane below said plane of the 'topedgesof said'side walls of the shelf.

3', Structure according to claim 1 and wherein an. upper edge portion of the front wall of the drawer overl'apsand engages said front endpoint'ion of the shelf flange.

4. Structureaccording to claim 1 and wherein longitudinally extendingportions of said flange of the shelf extend across and slidably engage top edge'portions ofthe' drawer and connect the front end'transverse portion'of said flange with said rear end'trans'verse portion thereof.

5. Structure according toclaim 1 and wherein the flange of said cover is continuous and is ar ranged with said rear end transverse portion extending downwardlyout'side of said drawer andthe other portions extending downwardly inside" of said'drawerl 6." Structureaccording to claim 1 and wherein said flange has al'ateral offset arranged between a rearend of each longitudinally extending por tion of the flange and the corresponding ends of the rear transverselyextending portion of said flange and said drawer has rearwardly exposed vertical stop faces 'to; engage said offset when" the drawer in'closed position.

7. Display. and storage structure comprising in combination a'plurality' of drawerseach inte' grally formed of transparent plastic material and slidably supported between vertically spaced partition members which are integrally formed of "transparent plastic margin, each said her being a coverfor a'drawer below it and a shelf for supporting a drawer above it, said drawers having their bottorn'surfaces provided with longitudinally extending downwardly di-' rected ridgesand said partition members having their ton-surfaces provided with longitudinally extending upwardly 'di rec t' ed ridges cooperating with said downwardly directedl'ridges to'guide said drawers durin g znovem ent thereof into and out of open position'a'ndto space the normal bottom surface of adrc'yv'ver from the normal'top surface of its supporting partition member.

8. Display and storage structure, accordingto claim 7 and wherein the rear end wallet each drawer joins a 'portio n'of each bfthe sidewalls thereof to formrounded-'rearcorners and each partition member hasa continuous flange with its side and frontendportions extending downwardly into the drawer below said-member, said 'side' portions pbsitioned to be slidably engaged bythe "upper edge of saidrounded "corner" of'the drawer when the latter isxnov'din and out, said front end portion being-flush with. the front edge of said membrfi and a rear portion overlapping 2,625,456 5 6 top edge portions of the rear end wall of the REFERENCES CITED drawer, said rear portion having its ends rounded The following references are of record in the to conform to and closely engage rounded rear me of this patent: corner portions of the drawer when the latter is in closed position 5 UNITED STATES PATENTS 9. Display and storage structure according to Number Name Date claim 7 and wherein front edge portions of each 328,015 Davis Oct. 13, 1885 partition member engage upper portions of the 740,677 Monsen et a1 Oct. 6, 1903 inner surface of the front wall of the drawer 952,699 Brien Mar. 22, 1910 next below said member and rear edge portions 10 1,833,081 Kilmer Nov. 24, 1931 of said partition member overlap upper por- 2,576,508 Gluckman Nov, 27, 1951 tions of the outer surface of the rear wall of said drawer, said rear edge portion having FOREIGN PATENTS its ends rounded to conform to and closely en- Number Country Date gage rounded rear corner portions of the drawer 15 ,3 Great Britain 1912 when the latter is in closed position.

MORRIS ROSTAU. 

